Schoolgirls fight to restore axed bus services

A TRIO of teens have launched a campaign to get bus services back between Long Wittenham and Didcot.

The pupils from Didcot Girls’ School in Manor Crescent, want the Thames Travel 97 bus to run more often after hearing friends and elderly people in the village are stranded.

Campaigns by school students in citizenship projects have been successful in the past. So Holly Smith, 15, from Abingdon, Alex Walker, 15, from Didcot, and Daisy Westhead, 14, from Didcot also hope to get results.

From December 8 the bus service was cut from four return services a day to one.

Long Wittenham residents wanting to shop in town have to get the 10.34am bus and return on the 1.49pm.

Holly said: “They are not frequent enough. There are only two services during the whole day.”

Daisy added: “People in the villages are being let down by the bus services.”

Long Wittenham parish council chairman Tom Bowtell said he was delighted to hear of the campaign.

He has invited the girls to talk to the parish council on June 5.

Oxfordshire County Council spokesman Marcus Mabberley said: “There never was a specific service under this Thames Travel contract from Long Wittenham to Didcot specifically catered for Didcot Girls’ School pupils.

“However White's Coaches do operate a commercial service to transport pupils in Long Wittenham to and from school.

“Discussions are on-going about the possibility for a third return trip into Didcot on the Thames Travel contract and a decision about this will be made in due course.”

Comments

EMBOX2
12:13pm Tue 15 Apr 14

Problem is Wittenham is a backwater for bus routes, always has been, although with all those new houses in Ladygrove I would expect a proper, commercial bus service to be implemented by OCC as a requirement of granting planning permission.

You can't dump 2000 homes somewhere and expect neighbouring communities to get nothing in return.

Problem is Wittenham is a backwater for bus routes, always has been, although with all those new houses in Ladygrove I would expect a proper, commercial bus service to be implemented by OCC as a requirement of granting planning permission.
You can't dump 2000 homes somewhere and expect neighbouring communities to get nothing in return.EMBOX2

Problem is Wittenham is a backwater for bus routes, always has been, although with all those new houses in Ladygrove I would expect a proper, commercial bus service to be implemented by OCC as a requirement of granting planning permission.

You can't dump 2000 homes somewhere and expect neighbouring communities to get nothing in return.

Score: 3

King Joke
12:40pm Tue 15 Apr 14

If a bus service were commercial, there would be no need for the County to implement it. That's a semantic point though and in general you're right. Some of the new estates in Bicester are being served by subsidised services, supported by s106 money from the developers for the first few years. This should be implemented for any addition to Ladygrove.

If a bus service were commercial, there would be no need for the County to implement it. That's a semantic point though and in general you're right. Some of the new estates in Bicester are being served by subsidised services, supported by s106 money from the developers for the first few years. This should be implemented for any addition to Ladygrove.King Joke

If a bus service were commercial, there would be no need for the County to implement it. That's a semantic point though and in general you're right. Some of the new estates in Bicester are being served by subsidised services, supported by s106 money from the developers for the first few years. This should be implemented for any addition to Ladygrove.

Score: 0

Andrew:Oxford
1:05pm Tue 15 Apr 14

It's difficult to deliver a comprehensive timetable when the route is so regularly closed to through traffic after sustained heavy rain - it's not impossible to mitigate against that though.

It's difficult to deliver a comprehensive timetable when the route is so regularly closed to through traffic after sustained heavy rain - it's not impossible to mitigate against that though.
A useful integrated service may well be a "Parkway Connect" service.
Running from Didcot Parkway rail station to the Churchill Hospital via Long Wittenham, Science Park, Greater Leys, Blackbird Leys, Business Park (rear Entrance) Cowley, Churchill Hospital.Andrew:Oxford

It's difficult to deliver a comprehensive timetable when the route is so regularly closed to through traffic after sustained heavy rain - it's not impossible to mitigate against that though.

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